An underrated restaurant in my eyes! The happy hour deals are incredible! We got their truffles fries to start and a couple drinks and were not disappointed! We didn’t order it but you can get an entire burger for $10 during happy hour (Mon-Fri 4-6pm) which is such a steal. Instead we ordered the Cajun pasta and southern curry along with the brussel sprouts. All three were absolutely incredible and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone stopping by! The overall experience was incredible and the service was great so I definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
DeAnn Jackson
We went here for a friend's birthday. Its a beautiful restaurant. They have a special menu called the dinner experience. You can choose a cocktail, appetizer, entree and dessert. I personally decided not to get it because of the dessert options. For the table we ordered fried green tomatoes, spinach and artichoke dip and deviled eggs. The deviled eggs, you can really taste the truffle oil. The fried green tomatoes were fried perfectly but lacked something. I really enjoyed the spinach and artichoke dip. I ordered the Southern Curry with shrimp. I was quite disappointed with the flavor. There was a slight hint of curry as an aftertaste but the dish had no flavor. My friend ordered the Cajun pasta and felt the same. We both decided to take the dishes to go in hopes that we could fix at home. Initially my friend asked to take her meal to go and the bus boy took it and threw it out. The restaurant was kind enough to make her a new meal to go. My husband ordered the burger...he said he has better burgers at Buffalo Wild Wings. But in semi fair comparison he absolutely love the burgers at J Alexander.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
Luke Larkin
We had a great experience for dinner on a Friday night, just the two of us. Love supporting a black owned restaurant. We started with some delicious and creative cocktails; each one sounded great!! Dinner was wonderful with great flavors. To be honest, so many restaurants in the city are trying new age dishes, it's nice to have classic, good food with a good mix of comforting home cooking and fancy restaurant flare. Etc delivers on this! The service was also great from start to finish. Would love some variety on desserts, only dig. Decor is artsy, music volume is great and id love to come back for happy hour or a late night dance time. Thanks again! Cheers!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hailey Estes
Went here for a birthday dinner, wanted to love it, but ultimately left disappointed - especially for the price. We came in with a group of four on a Friday night and the restaurant was at about half capacity. Unfortunately, they only seemed to have one server working (who was new), so we waiting a long time once we were seated. The “starters” are much more like sides than appetizers which was odd. We tried the Mac and cheese, which would have been good but desperately needed salt, and the cornbread which was still raw in the middle. We also got the deviled egg said it came with cornichon, but had truffle oil instead. When it came to entrees, the pasta also wasn’t as described on the menu and came with mushrooms, but came with tomatos instead. The rest of the table ordered the ox tails, steak and a burger which were all described as “fine.” We had been there too long to stay for dessert, paid the 20% auto grat for some very slow service and won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Tiarra Moore
Horrible experience, the ambience is nice. Waited over an hour for food. Literally brought one plate out at a time. Didn’t have the sides for the salmon, I feel so bad for the manager because he had no idea what was going on. He was nice enough to cover our bill, my husband food came out first, my food arrived 30-40 minutes later when it did arrive the rice was cold and peas were hard, tasted like the rice was sitting out while waiting for the salmon. Literally took 40 minutes for a piece a salmon. The drinks were good that’s about the only thing thats good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jayla Ivlie
Overrated. Food was okay, my party and I weren’t really impressed. We went on a Saturday night to celebrate my birthday & it was nice outside & lots of ppl out, but we wondered why they were not really crowded like any other restaurants(we understand why now). They charge $25 just bring a cake in. On the site it says “cutting fee”, we thought it was to just cut the cake or something, but were told it actually means we can’t bring the cake in at all without paying the fee. This is really petty, as other high end restaurants we’ve had no issue bringing in cakes for “a fee”, we started to just leave the cake in the car for later, but someone just came out and paid for it, although it’s petty. Servers were nice, but food was not worth the price. Red snapper also had too my scales left on it. We were spitting out scales trying to just eat the fish. Checked it off the list now, but wouldn’t go back. Seating is uncomfortable too.
Shay Powell
I came out of town and visited this restaurant for the first time with my family for a bridesmaid party. They accommodated our large party last minute. The ambiance and service at this restaurant is amazing. Our server and the manager at this place treated us very well and provided great service. I wish their dinner menu was slightly larger and had more options. Overall solid place. The music was also very great and intimate.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Adriane
Our server (the owner or manager, perhaps?) was super attentive and communicative. The cocktails superb, food wildly delicious and that chocolate cake!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Taylor Haynes
Rubin was a phenomenal server! She was very attentive and so kind. My husband and I were celebrating our first anniversary. She even put my flowers in a vase for me. Lovely experience, we'll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Andrea Millender
I wish I could give zero stars. I went to ETC Chicago last week with my Black co-workers for Happy Hour, and the experience was very disappointing. The staff were rude, and my co-workers experienced microaggressive behavior that made us uncomfortable. We chose to leave because no establishment deserves our hard-earned money after treating guests this way.
What makes this especially disheartening is that this is supposed to be a Black-owned establishment. We expected warmth, respect, and hospitality — instead, we got the opposite. Chicago has plenty of places to spend our money, and ETC will no longer be one of them.
My mom and I were on our annual girls' trip, and for her birthday, I wanted to treat her to a special dinner so I chose etc. I was immediately drawn to the restaurant because of the chef's reputation, and from the moment we arrived, the experience exceeded my expectations.
We were warmly greeted at the door by a wonderful gentleman who recognized us right away and wished my mom a happy birthday it was such a thoughtful touch. Our reservation was honored promptly, and we were seated without any wait.
Our server whose name unfortunately escapes me was incredibly kind, patient, and welcoming. He had a genuinely positive energy and made us feel truly cared for. To celebrate my mom’s birthday, they even offered her a complimentary glass of champagne, which added a lovely, elevated touch to the evening.
What we ordered:
Steak Frites – 14 oz Porcini-Crusted C.A.B. New York Strip with Mashed Potatoes ($54)
ETCpresso Martini – Mezcal, Demerara, Espresso ($19)
I ended up updating my order since the in-person menu differed slightly from the one online, but everything worked out perfectly.
My mom and I shared the steak, and it was absolutely delicious. I even convinced her to try it cooked medium and she loved it!
The restaurant itself is beautifully maintained, and even the restrooms were spotless, which speaks to the overall care put into the space.
Honestly, I’m surprised this place isn’t packed every night it’s a hidden gem. Delicious food, outstanding service, and a great atmosphere. We’ll definitely recommend to friends and family when they visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dellyion Bowman
Had a great time here for my cousins birthday. The food was amazing and the set up was beautiful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nathaniel Williams
When amazing flavor meets great portion size meets welcoming staff, not only is the atmosphere of the restaurant so insanely beautiful but there’s not a single point where you don’t feel welcome. The food was so good that I wished I wasn’t full just so I can have more(pasta is pictured), if you want a good night out with a lover or friends this is it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Catherine Owens
My husband and I made a reservation online for our wedding anniversary online for 1130am. There is conflicting information for this establishments hours. On the website it says 4pm opening but on their instagram and outside of the establishment it’s says brunch from 11-3p Wednesday-Friday. We pull up for our reservation on Wednesday and the door is locked. A gentleman comes out and lets us know that he’s not sure if they’re supposed to be open and that the prep cooks are in but no other employees are. This is very bad business. If you aren’t open for brunch then change your social media and large sign outside to state that. It sucks to make a reservation and be excited only to be let down for something as special as my wedding anniversary. Now we have to pivot and find somewhere to accommodate our needs.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Michelle Crisp
I met Chef Lamar in Des Moines and I can tell by his personality that he's a great chef. Can't wait to come to Chicago and taste his cooking!
An underrated restaurant in my eyes! The happy hour deals are incredible! We got their truffles fries to start and a couple drinks and were not disappointed! We didn’t order it but you can get an entire burger for $10 during happy hour (Mon-Fri 4-6pm) which is such a steal. Instead we ordered the Cajun pasta and southern curry along with the brussel sprouts. All three were absolutely incredible and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone stopping by! The overall experience was incredible and the service was great so I definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went here for a friend's birthday. Its a beautiful restaurant. They have a special menu called the dinner experience. You can choose a cocktail, appetizer, entree and dessert. I personally decided not to get it because of the dessert options. For the table we ordered fried green tomatoes, spinach and artichoke dip and deviled eggs. The deviled eggs, you can really taste the truffle oil. The fried green tomatoes were fried perfectly but lacked something. I really enjoyed the spinach and artichoke dip. I ordered the Southern Curry with shrimp. I was quite disappointed with the flavor. There was a slight hint of curry as an aftertaste but the dish had no flavor. My friend ordered the Cajun pasta and felt the same. We both decided to take the dishes to go in hopes that we could fix at home. Initially my friend asked to take her meal to go and the bus boy took it and threw it out. The restaurant was kind enough to make her a new meal to go. My husband ordered the burger...he said he has better burgers at Buffalo Wild Wings. But in semi fair comparison he absolutely love the burgers at J Alexander.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 2
We had a great experience for dinner on a Friday night, just the two of us. Love supporting a black owned restaurant. We started with some delicious and creative cocktails; each one sounded great!! Dinner was wonderful with great flavors. To be honest, so many restaurants in the city are trying new age dishes, it's nice to have classic, good food with a good mix of comforting home cooking and fancy restaurant flare. Etc delivers on this! The service was also great from start to finish. Would love some variety on desserts, only dig.
Decor is artsy, music volume is great and id love to come back for happy hour or a late night dance time. Thanks again! Cheers!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Went here for a birthday dinner, wanted to love it, but ultimately left disappointed - especially for the price. We came in with a group of four on a Friday night and the restaurant was at about half capacity. Unfortunately, they only seemed to have one server working (who was new), so we waiting a long time once we were seated. The “starters” are much more like sides than appetizers which was odd. We tried the Mac and cheese, which would have been good but desperately needed salt, and the cornbread which was still raw in the middle. We also got the deviled egg said it came with cornichon, but had truffle oil instead. When it came to entrees, the pasta also wasn’t as described on the menu and came with mushrooms, but came with tomatos instead. The rest of the table ordered the ox tails, steak and a burger which were all described as “fine.” We had been there too long to stay for dessert, paid the 20% auto grat for some very slow service and won’t be back.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Horrible experience, the ambience is nice. Waited over an hour for food. Literally brought one plate out at a time. Didn’t have the sides for the salmon, I feel so bad for the manager because he had no idea what was going on. He was nice enough to cover our bill, my husband food came out first, my food arrived 30-40 minutes later when it did arrive the rice was cold and peas were hard, tasted like the rice was sitting out while waiting for the salmon. Literally took 40 minutes for a piece a salmon. The drinks were good that’s about the only thing thats good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 1
Overrated. Food was okay, my party and I weren’t really impressed. We went on a Saturday night to celebrate my birthday & it was nice outside & lots of ppl out, but we wondered why they were not really crowded like any other restaurants(we understand why now). They charge $25 just bring a cake in. On the site it says “cutting fee”, we thought it was to just cut the cake or something, but were told it actually means we can’t bring the cake in at all without paying the fee. This is really petty, as other high end restaurants we’ve had no issue bringing in cakes for “a fee”, we started to just leave the cake in the car for later, but someone just came out and paid for it, although it’s petty. Servers were nice, but food was not worth the price. Red snapper also had too my scales left on it. We were spitting out scales trying to just eat the fish. Checked it off the list now, but wouldn’t go back. Seating is uncomfortable too.
I came out of town and visited this restaurant for the first time with my family for a bridesmaid party. They accommodated our large party last minute. The ambiance and service at this restaurant is amazing. Our server and the manager at this place treated us very well and provided great service. I wish their dinner menu was slightly larger and had more options. Overall solid place. The music was also very great and intimate.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Our server (the owner or manager, perhaps?) was super attentive and communicative. The cocktails superb, food wildly delicious and that chocolate cake!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rubin was a phenomenal server! She was very attentive and so kind. My husband and I were celebrating our first anniversary. She even put my flowers in a vase for me. Lovely experience, we'll definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I wish I could give zero stars. I went to ETC Chicago last week with my Black co-workers for Happy Hour, and the experience was very disappointing. The staff were rude, and my co-workers experienced microaggressive behavior that made us uncomfortable. We chose to leave because no establishment deserves our hard-earned money after treating guests this way.
What makes this especially disheartening is that this is supposed to be a Black-owned establishment. We expected warmth, respect, and hospitality — instead, we got the opposite. Chicago has plenty of places to spend our money, and ETC will no longer be one of them.
Atmosphere: 2
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
My mom and I were on our annual girls' trip, and for her birthday, I wanted to treat her to a special dinner so I chose etc. I was immediately drawn to the restaurant because of the chef's reputation, and from the moment we arrived, the experience exceeded my expectations.
We were warmly greeted at the door by a wonderful gentleman who recognized us right away and wished my mom a happy birthday it was such a thoughtful touch. Our reservation was honored promptly, and we were seated without any wait.
Our server whose name unfortunately escapes me was incredibly kind, patient, and welcoming. He had a genuinely positive energy and made us feel truly cared for. To celebrate my mom’s birthday, they even offered her a complimentary glass of champagne, which added a lovely, elevated touch to the evening.
What we ordered:
Steak Frites – 14 oz Porcini-Crusted C.A.B. New York Strip with Mashed Potatoes ($54)
ETCpresso Martini – Mezcal, Demerara, Espresso ($19)
I ended up updating my order since the in-person menu differed slightly from the one online, but everything worked out perfectly.
My mom and I shared the steak, and it was absolutely delicious. I even convinced her to try it cooked medium and she loved it!
The restaurant itself is beautifully maintained, and even the restrooms were spotless, which speaks to the overall care put into the space.
Honestly, I’m surprised this place isn’t packed every night it’s a hidden gem. Delicious food, outstanding service, and a great atmosphere. We’ll definitely recommend to friends and family when they visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a great time here for my cousins birthday. The food was amazing and the set up was beautiful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
When amazing flavor meets great portion size meets welcoming staff, not only is the atmosphere of the restaurant so insanely beautiful but there’s not a single point where you don’t feel welcome. The food was so good that I wished I wasn’t full just so I can have more(pasta is pictured), if you want a good night out with a lover or friends this is it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My husband and I made a reservation online for our wedding anniversary online for 1130am. There is conflicting information for this establishments hours. On the website it says 4pm opening but on their instagram and outside of the establishment it’s says brunch from 11-3p Wednesday-Friday. We pull up for our reservation on Wednesday and the door is locked. A gentleman comes out and lets us know that he’s not sure if they’re supposed to be open and that the prep cooks are in but no other employees are. This is very bad business. If you aren’t open for brunch then change your social media and large sign outside to state that. It sucks to make a reservation and be excited only to be let down for something as special as my wedding anniversary. Now we have to pivot and find somewhere to accommodate our needs.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
I met Chef Lamar in Des Moines and I can tell by his personality that he's a great chef. Can't wait to come to Chicago and taste his cooking!
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